A tube furnace is one example of a process station. A tube furnace is to be loaded with, for example, a quartz tube so that the tube furnace can heat the quartz tube in order to facilitate processing of substances within the quartz tube. For example, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), laser vaporization, and other methods used in the fabrication of materials, nanostructures, and/or electronic devices frequently use a quartz tube and a heat source, where the quartz tube needs to be connected to inlet and outlet gas lines.
FIG. 1A is a schematic perspective view showing a typical conventional tube furnace 10. The conventional tube furnace 10, when configured for use, includes a body that is to surround a cylindrical portion of a quartz tube. (In FIG. 1A, the quartz tube is not shown.)
The body of the conventional tube furnace 10 includes an upper body portion 12 and a lower body portion 14 that respectively define an upper channel 16 and a lower channel 18. When the body portions 12 and 14 are positioned together, they together define a combined channel which includes the upper channel 16 and the lower channel 18. The combined channel is to enclose a cylindrical portion of the quartz tube. The channels 16 and 18 may each have a semi-circular profile such that they combine to form a cylindrical combined channel. The upper body portion 12 is connected to the lower body portion 14 by a rear hinge 20, such that the upper body portion 12 forms a hinged cover 12 that may be opened and closed. The conventional tube furnace 10 is typically set up for use by opening its hinged cover 12, loading a quartz tube into the lower channel 18, and closing the hinged cover 12.
FIG. 1B is a schematic front view of a typical conventional layout of a typical conventional quartz tube 30 in operation with a typical conventional tube furnace (such as the conventional tube furnace 10 shown in FIG. 1A). As is shown, there are furnace heating elements, such as a top furnace heating element 32 and a bottom furnace heating element 34 that heat the conventional quartz tube 30 that has two tube ends. Feedstock gas flows into the quartz tube 30 from a first end 36, as shown by the arrow 38, and flows out of the quartz tube 38 from a second, opposite end 40, as shown by the arrow 42. Thus, the conventional quartz tube 30 is typically connected to gas lines (not shown) respectively at each of the first end 36 and its substantially opposite second end 40. The top and bottom heating elements 32 and 34 respectively may be elements within the top and bottom body portions 12 and 14 of the tube furnace 10 shown in FIG. 1A. The gas lines may be high-temperature gas lines, such as may be used in CVD and other types of processing. The gas lines may include flexible lines.
Typically, heat must be provided by the tube furnace 10 (of FIG. 1A) for a substantial period of time after the hinged cover 12 is closed over the quartz tube in order to raise the temperature of the quartz tube and the tube furnace 10. In some situations, the substantial period of time is required due to a fact that when the hinged cover 12 is opened, substantial amounts of already-generated heat, if any, within the tube furnace 10 escapes and must be replaced.